The embodiments described herein relate generally to an apparatus for manufacturing a component, and more specifically to methods and systems for manufacturing a flanged component from a composite lay-up.
Composite materials are conventionally used in the aerospace industry because of their high strength-to-weight ratio. Aerospace components made from composite materials may require precise tolerances to enhance parameters such as structural integrity, performance, and fatigue life. More particularly, fiber-reinforced composite materials may be used for aircraft structural components such as, for example, fan cases. Some structural components include flanges, which may increase the stiffness of the structural components and/or facilitate assembly of the structural components to other components.
Some known flanged components are produced by coupling composite plies and subsequently curing the composite plies. Conventional forming processes for flanged composite components, however, may result in inconsistent laminate quality and large dimensional variations within the composite plies. Moreover, conventional forming process may result in extensive post-molding machining to obtain desired tolerances, which may increase the cost of manufacturing.
During some known press-curing methods for molding composite materials, a press may not make uniform contact with a composite lay-up as a mold closes about the lay-up during a cure stage. More particularly, thicker portions of the lay-up may make contact with the press and experience more pressure than other parts of the lay-up due to an interference or void known as “bulk.” “Bulk” can refer to trapped air that is present in the composite plies. As the press progresses along the lay-up, more of the surface area of the lay-up can come in contact with the mold and the pressure and the movement of the bulk during the cure stage may cause the lay-up to undergo costly machining after curing to manufacture the component to the desired tolerances. Further, some known press-curing methods to mold a component such as fan case may require the molding process to be repeated on both forward and aft ends of the fan case so as to facilitate molding forward and aft flanges on the fan case.